Late last year the NSW Government announced its intention to demolish and redevelop Waterloo’s high-rise towers and surrounding public housing. This decision involves displacing over 4,500 elderly, disabled and low-income people who live there.

The briefings provided an opportunity for these communities to raise their questions. FaCS acknowledged the lack of further details surrounding the redevelopment but outlined some possible scenarios, especially…

The following information about approval to return to a public housing property after redevelopment appeared on the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) website, dated February 22, 2016:

In December last year, just before Christmas, the state government announced a plan to redevelop the Waterloo area over the next 20 years. They also announced the need to relocate at least 2,000 public housing tenants as a result, while the redevelopment takes place. The plan follows similar decisions in 2014 and 2015 to sell and redevelop public housing areas in Ivanhoe and Millers Point.

If you were at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Redfern on Thursday February 18, you would have been forgiven for thinking you were arriving at a Hillsong Church convention. Residents were greeted by an army of bureaucrats and rent-a-staffers (recognised from other consultations) sporting bright green T-shirts emblazoned with the promise: “More Homes, Better Place, Great Transport”. If you were expecting a smooth talking and inspiring preacher, however, you would be disappointed.